Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-08-06
The old man shook his head Slow

81 have heard the story" he said,
"but none Of the pale faces have it
right"
"How do you know?"
CT was there at the time, and do
know"
"Then is the tradition not true 2"
"The brave girl did leap from the
high rock"
"You must be very DID,"
"Better than 100 summers" rub
bling his thin hand across his deeply
furrowed brow. CT was a young
brave then, only a boy, but l have
forgotten nothing"
You say the whites do not have
the story of the girl correctly preserv-
ed, 50 will you tell it to me, that l
may know the truth of the Lovers
Leap?"
eyes," the old Indian said, and
laid aside his pipe.
"Winona was the daughter of a
Dakota chief, and as bright and love
~ as the fairest flower of the prairie.
Many of the Dakota braves loved the
pretty little squaw, and 50 did one
pale-face trader, called Seco, who
had a trading post two rifle shots
below the bluff. The trader offered
the chief much money and beads for
Winona, and the chief said the squaw
should 90. to the teepee of Seco, and
/, be his.
; "Winona hated the trader and
loved Il young Chippewa brave nam
t ed Little Coon, and she said in her
heart if she could not go in peace
. with the Chippewa she would go to
her death.
2 "Just at that time the DakOtas and
r Chippewas went to war, and it was
no longer safe for Little Coon to visit
} the home of Winona. He could not
= stay away from the little squaw, so
he went down the Pepin Lake in
a canoe covered with a tree top and
: by the shadows of the night.
"Winona answered Little Coon's
f call when he cried out like the little
duck.
zone night she told her lover that
: the chief had sold her to the Prairie
Chicken, or Seco, the trader, and that
her father had said on the next night
3 she must go to the teepee of the pale.
face to be his squaw. She mourned
2 pitifully, and said she would throw
herself to death from the high bluff
| before she would go to the trader.
Little Coon asked her to flee with
. him, but she said no, for'then both
herself and lover would be trailed tc
certain death, for the Dakota warriors
hated the Chippewa braves.
"They talked long and laid a plar
to deceive the chief and'her people.
Little Coon hid himself neal the
. bluff all the next day. When night
5 came the chief took Winona to the
: traders post and left her there. The
squaw was sad, but said not a wore
to Seco. She sat and gazed at the
: stars for a long time. Seco talked
to her like the cooling of a dove, but
: his. words touched not her heart
"Then she arose and ran towards
the high hill. The trader was afraiC
9 he would lose her, for she had tolC
: that she would rather die than be his
/ squaw, and he ran after her, but il
was like the turtle after the gazelle
WinOna went with quick feet t.
the top of the bluff, and Seco calico
/ out like wildcat, and the Dakota
chief and braves, who we're campet
> up there, heard him.
"They ran quick.
Wihona heard them, and went t.
the very brink chanting the deatl
song. She bowed herself to the earth
wrapped her blanket about her breas
e and with a wild cry sprang out into
S the dark air of the night.
"The braves drew near the place
a where the young squaW had stood
t and they heard the sound Of a heavy
fall.
They looked down into the black
I. ness, but could see nothing four tree.
deep, but the splash of water wa
heard, and they knew Winona wa.
no more. They went with quick fee
|. to the Pepin Lake, but the moving
# water had carried the dead squav
away forever, they said, and they
+ turned sadly back to their lodges"
"And they never found the body
I of the girl" I.asked.
The white-haired old warrior shool
his head.
"They did not find the body be
o,,,.n - we, not lDc+ loro,4I H. L;ol